Comparison

The Devil's Calculator vs Cracking the Cryptic

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

The Devil's Calculator

This math puzzle game challenges you to decipher obscure operators on a calculator. Solve algebraic puzzles by working backward to understand the functions and purge the calculator of its demons. It's an addictive and educational experience with user-created levels and DLC.

Highlights
  • Obscure operator deciphering
  • Algebraic puzzle solving
  • User-created levels
  • DLC levels by mathematicians
  • Graphing mechanics
  • Hand-drawn artwork
Features
Read full description

An evil calculator has its normal arithmetic operators replaced with sadistically obscure functions. Using logic and algebraic puzzle solving, you must work backwards to interpolate them and purge the calculator of its demons. Non-profit and open-source, The Devil's Calculator is a highly original indie game that's as addicting as it is educational. Accessible to numberphiles and math novices alike, the first 20+ levels are 100% free to play and enjoy along with several DLC levels, authored by famous mathematicians like Alex Bellos, Grant Sanderson, James Grime, Tony Padilla and James Tanton! The game was named a fan favorite of GDWC, and one of the top 10 indie games of 2019 by PAX. Each level has you decipher the function of a mysterious operator and use it to calculate the number of the beast to progress. Advanced graphing mechanics, countless features and simple, yet innovative level design provide considerable depth to the gameplay. Players unlock the ability to create their own levels and play challenges others have created - including free DLC levels crafted by the game's creators, educators and mathematicians. With hand drawn artwork and a charming story, the Devil's Calculator is a genuinely fun and gratifying puzzle experience. The game was celebrated at the MOVES conference by the National Museum of Mathematics in New York City. Cinq-Mars Media is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization developing technology to support scientific research related to human safety and education, and to make such technology and research available on a charitable basis.

About

Cracking the Cryptic

This app offers a curated collection of handcrafted Sudoku puzzles from world-renowned constructors. Explore classic and unique variants, with new puzzle packs released regularly. A free introductory pack is included with download.

Highlights
  • Handcrafted Sudoku puzzles
  • Curated by expert constructors
  • Classic and unique variants
  • Regularly released puzzle packs
  • Free introductory puzzle pack
Features
Read full description

OUR NEWEST PACK – CLASSIC VOLUME #2! Classic sudoku is where it all began, and there is still lots of skill to be deployed to solve classic puzzles, and new techniques to be explored. Nikoli, the Japanese puzzle house, named and popularised sudoku from 1984, and we have commissioned 20 puzzles from them for this Classic Sudoku 2 app. We have also created 20 ourselves, and sourced 20 more from Sam Cappleman-Lynes, the brilliant British sudoku expert. The result is a wonderful 60-puzzle pack which will delight and challenge you. -------------------- Welcome to the brand new Sudoku app from the most popular Sudoku channel, Cracking The Cryptic. Unlike other Sudoku apps, we feature handcrafted and curated puzzles from the world’s best Sudoku constructors. Each collection features puzzles made by various authors that are now familiar names to those who follow the channel. Authors like Phistomefel, Clover, Sam Cappleman-Lynes, Christoph Seeliger, Richard Stolk, jovi_al, Qodec, Prasanna Seshadri and of course, Simon and Mark! Downloading Cracking the Cryptic will give you access to our first free collection – a variety pack by Prasanna Seshadri featuring 7 puzzles inspired from our previous Sudoku apps; Sandwich, Classic, Chess, Thermo, Miracle, Killer and Arrow Sudoku. We also have purchasable packs designed for all skill levels and featuring many unique variants not seen previously. We’ll be releasing more free and paid packs in the future so keep an eye on the app for more Sudoku content from Cracking The Cryptic!

Screenshots

The Devil's Calculator4 screens
Cracking the Cryptic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: The Devil's Calculator at 4.8 against Cracking the Cryptic's 4.4. The Devil's Calculator also leads on review sentiment (87% vs 72%) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. The Devil's Calculator sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Cracking the Cryptic sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

The Devil's Calculator holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 245 and 208 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 87% of The Devil's Calculator's written reviews are positive against 72% of Cracking the Cryptic's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Devil's Calculator ships an update every 10 days, Cracking the Cryptic every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
The Devil's Calculator versus Cracking the Cryptic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Devil's CalculatorCracking the Cryptic
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (245 ratings) — better4.4 (208 ratings)
Positive reviews87.2% of reviews — better72.1% of reviews
Number of ratings245 — better208
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS10.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size77 MB234 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCinq-Mars MediaNick Carney

Customer experience

The Devil's Calculator

All ratings245 ratings
Positive95.9%
Neutral0.4%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews39 reviews
Positive87.2%
Neutral2.6%
Negative10.3%

Cracking the Cryptic

All ratings208 ratings
Positive84.1%
Neutral6.3%
Negative9.6%
Written reviews147 reviews
Positive72.1%
Neutral13.6%
Negative14.3%

User reviews

The Devil's Calculator

From 245 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💡 Most creative idea ever
  • 🧠 Genius puzzle design
  • 👍 Fun and educational
  • 🚀 Brilliant game concept
  • 🤓 Great for math lovers

Room to improve

  • 😠 Tedious late puzzles
  • 🐛 Calculator responsiveness issues
  • 🐛 Wolfram graphing feature doesn't work
  • 🐛 Progress saving issues
  • 🐛 Calculator malfunction

Cracking the Cryptic

From 208 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Best sudoku app
  • 👍 Great variety of puzzles
  • 👍 Excellent user interface
  • 👍 Challenging and fun puzzles
  • 👍 Constant updates with new puzzles

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Hints are often incorrect or unhelpful
  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes, especially after updates
  • 🔋 Battery draining issues
  • 🔒 Too many in-app purchases required to access content

Bugs and requests

The Devil's Calculator

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • Some late puzzles with the third operator get too tedious with too much trial and error
  • The built-in calculator needs some work and button responsiveness isn’t always the best.
  • The graph to wolfram alpha function doesn’t seem to work.
  • There’s unfortunately an exploit I accidentally discovered that allows you to bypass any level.
  • The “real” calculator malfunctions when you want to use the answer you got previously, like if I input “330 * 2”, getting 660, then pressed “+6” on the next row, instead of showing 660 + 6 = 666, it’d show 2+6 = 8
Show 4 more
  • Lost progress again from 38 to 33. iPhone XS Max, iOS 12.4.1.
  • My progress seems to be undone somewhat arbitrarily. I was working through the 50s, and when I booted up the game today, my progress had reset to level 35.
  • The wolfram graphing feature doesn’t work.
  • There’s a problem with DLC LEVEL 6 however.

Requested features

3 requests
  • Update the app
  • Fix DLC Level 6
  • More levels

Cracking the Cryptic

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Puzzle progress and purchases disappearing after updates
  • Incorrect rules or hints in certain puzzles
  • Crashes and freezes, especially on older devices or Macs
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching between portrait and landscape modes

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more color options for pencil marking and highlighting
  • Implement a way to clear progress or start puzzles from scratch
  • Integrate all CTC apps into a single app for better organization
  • Add keyboard support, especially on Mac
  • Improve the quality and clarity of hints

In-app purchases

1 purchases

The Devil's Calculator

One-time1
  • Full Version of Game$2.99
13 purchases

Cracking the Cryptic

One-time13
  • CTC Worms - James Sinclair$0.99
  • CTC Worms - Marty Sears$0.99
  • CTC Worms - Zetamath$1.99
Show 10 more
  • CTC Worms - Blobz$1.99
  • CTC Worms - Michael Lefkowitz$1.99
  • CTC Worms - Phistomefel$1.99
  • GAS Volume #1$2.99
  • GAS Volume #2$2.99
  • CTC Approachable Sudoku #1$2.99
  • Domino Sudoku Pack$4.99
  • Lines Variety Pack$4.99
  • Classic Volume #2$4.99
  • CTC Fog Pack #1$4.99

Questions

Is The Devil's Calculator free?
The Devil's Calculator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cracking the Cryptic free?
Cracking the Cryptic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, The Devil's Calculator or Cracking the Cryptic?
The Devil's Calculator is rated higher. The Devil's Calculator averages 4.8 out of 5 from 245 ratings, while Cracking the Cryptic averages 4.4 from 208 ratings.
Do The Devil's Calculator or Cracking the Cryptic have ads?
Neither The Devil's Calculator nor Cracking the Cryptic shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Devil's Calculator or Cracking the Cryptic?
The Devil's Calculator ships an update every 10 days, and Cracking the Cryptic every 3 weeks. Most recently, The Devil's Calculator was updated on October 9, 2026 and Cracking the Cryptic on October 14, 2026.

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